ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions can’t seem to catch a break when it comes to defensive injuries.
Dan Campbell announced that cornerback Terrion Arnold would miss “a long time” due to a re-aggravated shoulder injury suffered in the team’s win against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 5.
“Unfortunately, he’s going to be out for a while. He’s going to be out for a long time,” Campbell said of Arnold. “I don’t know that (if it’s a season-ender). But it will be a while. It’s going to be a while.”
On top of that, depth cornerback and key special teamer Khalil Dorsey will be out “a while,” too. Dorsey was in concussion protocol last week, then had a wrist injury added to the practice report.
This comes after top corner D.J. Reed (hamstring) landed on injured reserve last week. Reed and Arnold are not expected to miss the entire season, but it sounds like it’s going to be a stretch of patching the holes and fighting through more injuries.
After last season’s unthinkable amount of defensive injuries, the Lions are more than familiar with these types of challenges. Campbell noted that last year, it was all about the front of the defense. But now the injuries are coming in bunches to the secondary.
Ennis Rakestraw Jr., a second-round pick in the same draft as Arnold, is out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery back in August.
“It really is the same as last year,” Campbell said. “Now, it’s on the back end. You just tweak a couple of things. Front has got to get there a little quicker. And our DBs, man, get up there and challenge, compete. We’ll adjust. We’ll adapt. We’ll move on.”
Campbell made the announcement after crediting Arnold for playing one of the best games and as one of the top defensive players in Cincinnati. Arnold suffered a shoulder injury against the Cleveland Browns and did not return. But he was back at practice all week and in the starting lineup on Sunday. Arnold exited with a shoulder injury late in the third quarter against the Bengals.
Arnold allowed three catches on six targets for 28 yards in coverage. He also committed two penalties, missed a tackle, but knocked away two passes in coverage on Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase.
“I thought he was very competitive. I thought he was calm,” Campbell said. “I thought he was cool. I thought this was one of the better games he’s played in a while. Thought it was really good. We put a lot on him, and I thought he answered the bell.”
Reed will miss at least the next three games due to his hamstring injury. Arnold and Dorsey sound like they could be headed to injured reserve and won’t be back for a long time.
That puts even more pressure on the secondary to fill in the gaps, especially with the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes up next.
Amik Robertson played all 62 defensive snaps against the Bengals, with 42 at outside cornerback and another 20 in the slot. The veteran cornerback grabbed his first interception since joining the Lions, and is likely in line for that type of heavy workload moving forward.
Rock Ya-Sin saw the biggest increase in playing time with Reed out and Arnold exiting. The veteran defensive back has played all over the secondary since joining the Lions. They worked him outside, in the slot and back deep at safety. On Sunday, Ya-Sin played three at nickelback and 25 on the outside before exiting with cramping.
“He plays fearless. He’s not afraid,” Campbell said. “He’s aggressive. He’ll challenge. He challenges the release point. He challenges at the catch point. He’ll run up. He’ll tackle. He’ll hit. That’s all you can ask for. That’s all we’re looking for here.”
Avonte Maddox is another versatile veteran in line for a responsibility boost. Maddox took over for eight snaps in the slot and will likely see work from the nickel when Robertson kicks outside. Star safety Brian Branch also has more than enough experience in the slot and is already used to moving around.
The Lions added Tre Flowers and Nick Whiteside to their practice squad last week. Whiteside spent training camp and the preseason with the team. Flowers is a massive cornerback at 6-foot-3, 203 pounds, and has played a ton of football.
Flowers has played 95 games, starting 44 times across seven years in the league. But he has only had one interception since 2018, playing more special teams while bouncing around the NFL recently. The 30-year-old helped fill in the gaps with the injuries mounting in the defensive backfield. Flowers added two slot reps and another seven on the outside.
Campbell said the Lions will try some things out. But that playing a ton of man coverage is part of their DNA, and they aren’t about to abandon that now.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our [User Agreement](https://www.advancelocal.com/advancelocalUserAgreement/user-agreement.html) and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our [Privacy Policy.](https://www.advancelocal.com/advancelocalUserAgreement/privacy-policy.html)